


Date Night

by jadewolf



Series: Adventures of Team Crab [7]
Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Aiata - Freeform, Aiata Puts Up with So Much, Crabs Getting into Trouble, Crabs in Love, Don't Taunt the Giant Octopus, F/M, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Humor, Just Your Typical Night in Lalotai, Laughing in the Face of Danger, Monsters, Narrow Escapes, Or Giggling in the Face of Danger at Least, Ripekanga, Sexual Humor, Tamatoa Doesn't Know How to Be Serious, Tamatoa/Aiata, date night gone awry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 08:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20239699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadewolf/pseuds/jadewolf
Summary: Date night in Lalotai rarely goes as planned.  A humorous short in the Ripekanga!Verse series.





	Date Night

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in my docs for months, but I am finally getting around to posting it! (And thank you to raptormoon for all the editing assistance! :D)
> 
> Just a silly, fluffy story of two crabs in love... and monster fighting! And danger! Excitement!
> 
> Anyway, hope you'll enjoy! We're cooking up a TON of new stuff, too. We're about 3/4 the way through not one but TWO sequels to Ripekanga right now! And we have half a dozen short stories waiting to post, too!
> 
> So, we're not dead! We're writing like mad to bring you more fun! :D

“Somehow, Tama, I don’t think you’re taking this very seriously.”

“I am _totally_ taking this _very_ seriously.”

Aiata quirked an eye, skeptical.

“But you have to admit it’s _very_ romantic.” He grinned, wiggling his antennae suggestively.

“Tama!”

“What? A dark cavern, a fresh kill, and _just a hint_ of imminent danger...” He leaned in close, a salacious smile playing about his glowing lips.

“And the giant hungry octopus?”

Tamatoa flicked his antennae. “A minor setback!”

A ‘minor setback’ was putting it _mildly_.

Their evening had started pleasantly enough. They had set off shortly after nightfall to further explore their new home, reaching beyond their newly established territory’s boundaries to probe deeper into the wilds of Lalotai.

It was just the two of them on this particular trip; Tuahangata had offered to join them but they had been craving a little _together_ time and had politely declined. Sharing their territory with the demigod was still a new concept and it took a bit of getting used to. And sometimes, a mated pair of crabs just needed some _privacy_.

So, they had decided to take a night for themselves—a date night.

Tamatoa was quite taken with the idea, too. Such was his enthusiasm that he had awakened _before_ Aiata (a rare thing, indeed!) and was already eager to leave before the sun had even set. Further, he had even given their demigod neighbor—who Aiata knew Tamatoa was still somewhat wary of—a jaunty, amicable wave as they left for the night.

The evening grew later as their explorations took them farther and farther from home. And as the night went on, finding dinner became a priority.So, on the fringes of their territory, they had begun stalking a decent sized mo’o into the vast, unknown wilderness beyond their borders.

The giant lizards were tricky to hunt. When threatened, they could fight ferociously, striking out with wickedly curved claws and sharp, serrated teeth. That alone made them a difficult target, but they were _also_ capable of shapeshifting from large monsters into tiny geckos when their fight turned to flight. The trick to a successful mo’o kill was to take it down fast, before it decided to flee as a tiny, uncatchable gecko.

Of course, this was all new to Aiata and Tamatoa. There had been a mo’o on their old island, so they were, fortunately, familiar with the creature’s abilities. However, it wasn’t until they came to Lalotai and had to find new food sources that mo’o had ended up on the menu.

Mo’o were certainly more challenging and dangerous to hunt than feral boars and wandering humans, though. The crabs had adapted well, of course.Before long, the pair of them had devised a solid technique for hunting the giant reptiles. Working together as a team, they were devastatingly effective.Naturally, some lizards managed to escape—no predator was successful _every_ hunt and failure was far more common. Tonight was not one of those times.

They had caught their quarry quickly, surprising it as it went down to its pond to drink. The mo’o had put up a good fight, but was no match for the two of them working in tandem.It had been a joyous hunt and they had reveled in it, savoring the thrill of the chase and the satisfaction of the kill.

As it turned out, however, they weren’t the only hunters on the prowl.

Still riding the exhilaration of a successful hunt, the scent of _another_ creature moving in had almost gone unnoticed. It wasn’t until their celebratory rambunctiousness had tapered off and Aiata was about to settle down to their meal that she caught the faint whiff of danger in the air.

She was launching into action before the scent had even fully registered, leaping up and shoving Tamatoa out of the way. His yelp of surprised protest was lost to the crashing thunderclap of a giant tentacle bursting through the nearby staghorn corals. Suddenly, there were tentacles _everywhere! _ The crabs were left to dodge and weave around the wiggling limbs of suckered death to escape.

And that’s how they came to find themselves cornered in this cavern. Aiata had slammed her claws into the rocky walls as they scrambled inside, triggering a hail of boulders behind them. The rockfall had blocked the entrance and was keeping the octopus at bay... for now. Tamatoa, of course, had somehow managed to grab the mo’o carcass as they fled, flinging it onto his back where it now rested amid the glittering mass of seashells and other doodads.His somewhat skewed priorities couldn’t possibly be more obvious. But he had _also_ held onto his good humor, _laughing_ as they beat a hasty retreat into the cave.

And now he was _flirting! _He had the charm turned up to eleven and was still casting a ‘come hither’ leer in her direction.

Meanwhile, the gigantic octopus was lurking patiently outside their temporary safe haven. Aiata could smell it out there, could hear the long sucker-covered arms probing the rock walls and seeking a way in.

“I’d call this a bit more than a _minor setback_,” she said, her tone on the verge of exasperated.

“Well, okay sure. _Maybe_ we’re in a tight spot,” her mate acknowledged and for a moment Aiata thought he was finally getting serious about their predicament. But then his lips curled into a grin once more.“Then again I wouldn’t mind getting into a ti—“

“_Tamatoa!_” she admonished, cutting off his next round of innuendo.

He flashed her a look that was clearly aiming for cherubic innocence, but came off more like wicked, puckish delight.

“All I’m sayin’ is: there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.” He grinned. “I’ve been here before. And…”He drew out his words for the sheer theatricality of it, adding a particularly dramatic flourish of his claws. “...there is _another_ exit!”

And with that, he lead the way towards the shadowy rear of the cavern in a smooth, sauntering gait.

Aiata had to smile, despite it all. His enthusiasm and cheer was positively infectious. It seemed they were in for quite the little adventure tonight.

She followed him over. He was feeling along the back wall with his antennae, looking for… something. In truth, she didn’t really know _what_ he was looking for. She wasn’t _completely_ convinced that he actually knew where they were, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for the moment.

“It was right along here…” he was murmuring, now pressing his claws against the wall as if looking for some sort of weak spot. “Wait a minute…”

A claw closed around an oddly shaped stone, projecting like a crystalline spear from the wall. He gave it a short tug.“I think it was this—“

The ground fell away beneath them.

“—-ooooooooooone!”

They fell in darkness, tumbling down some steep, glassy slope. The only light was from their own flickering bioluminescence and the only sound was Tamatoa’s surprised hollering. It was a short fall, however, and they soon landed in a tangled heap at the bottom of some dark shaft in the earth.

“Our situation has not improved,” Aiata deadpanned.

She had landed atop Tamatoa, who was upside-down on his back with his legs in the air.

“_Au contraire_,” Tamatoa replied, his wanton smile emerging from the darkness as his bioluminescence glowed back to life. He wiggled a bit beneath her, curling his legs around to lightly grip her shell.“From this angle, I’d say our situation is _much_ improved.”

Aiata tried—and failed—to stifle a giggle. He really was _too much_ and, while this was _definitely_ not a good time for this, his charm was still very hard to resist. Particularly when his rear claws were doing—

“_Tama_,” she whispered, trying not to get _too_ distracted. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

He grinned up at her, somehow managing to look simultaneously innocent and lascivious all at once. “Oh, right.Dinner first?”

Despite it all, Aiata couldn’t help but giggle again. He really wasn’t taking their predicament seriously _at all_. As a reminder, she prodded him with a leg. “_The octopus?”_

“Well, that’s really more than we need for a meal and we already have this mo’o and—“

From somewhere in the darkness, there was a sudden sound, a heavy scraping of rock against stone. Aiata hastily put one antenna over Tamatoa’s mouth to silence him, keeping the other cocked at an angle to listen.

There it was again, another scrape as if heavy stones were being moved. It sounded as if it was nearby, too.Was the octopus digging its way through the fallen boulders? Had it found another passage to reach them?Was—

She was jarred out of her thoughts by a long, slow lick along her antenna. Eyes widening, she turned them around just in time to see Tama curl his tongue around the slender feeler and pull it into his mouth.

“_Tama!_” she protested, though there wasn’t much vehemence behind it now. Point of fact, what he was doing felt _very_ nice and she was quickly becoming _very_ distracted.

The portrait of faux innocence, he smiled sweetly and hummed an inquisitive “Hmm?” around his mouthful, sending little pleasurable shivers vibrating down her antenna.

There was another rumble of rocks being shifted somewhere in the dark, though to Aiata the sound seemed muted through the rising tide that flooded her senses. Nevertheless, she somehow managed to tear her gaze away, glancing in the direction of the ominous noises.Her attention was deeply split, however—one antenna angled towards the unseen danger and the other… the other… Tamatoa was sucking on the other, sending a tingling warmth spreading through her. His hind claws were back in motion, too, and—oh my.

Flustered, Aiata tried to refocus. They were _in imminent peril_ here, she reminded herself sternly. Giant, hungry octopus… long tentacles…

A rear claw delicately traced the length of her feathery pleopods, sensitive appendages which curled around her abdomen, and suddenly _octopus_ was the farthest thing from her mind. Swept up in a rush of lust, her attention shifted, focusing completely upon Tamatoa, still pinned beneath her.

Tamatoa grinned wide, smugly victorious. She could see the light of eager anticipation in his eyes. Long legs tugged at the edges of her shell, beckoning her closer. Aiata leaned down—

—and the rocks overhead _exploded_.

Everything was tipped violently into chaos in an instant. A hail of broken stones rained down upon them as a long, yellow tentacle punched through the rocky wall above them. Strobing blue ring-like markings on the octopus’s arm cast crazed, flickering light against the tight confines of the underground chamber. Wild shadows were cast in the flashing light, illuminating the craggy walls around them.

The two crabs were spared from the octopus’s immediate grasp by only inches. Had Aiata not bent down when she did, the groping tentacle would have had them easily. She shoved herself down further, ducking away from the searching suckers that flailed just overhead.

Pressed tightly against Tamatoa but now in far less pleasurable circumstances, she gave him an exasperated look. “Still just a ‘minor setback’?” she asked him, managing to be wryly amused even through her frustration.

“Okay, okay,” he finally conceded, with a sheepish tilt of his lips. “Octopus first._Then_…” He waggled his antennae suggestively.

He really was _incorrigible_.

“_Later_, Tama!” she prevailed upon him. Then one eye swiveled, searching.“Where’s that mo’o?”

He quirked an eye in response, then bent it back to look behind him. “Uhh.Over there.”The mo’o carcass had been thrown clear of him when they tumbled down here, laying in a battered heap a short distance away past Tamatoa’s head. “Why?”

Aiata didn’t answer, instead inching forward as carefully as possible without lifting herself up into the range of the octopus’s tentacles. 

“Hey, what are you—“ Tamatoa began to complain as she climbed over his face to reach their kill, but his complaint quickly morphed into a muffled chuckle that rumbled against her. “Oh, yep. Riiiiiight there is good,” he mumbled into her underside.

She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her grin. Really, it took all of Aiata’s focus to _not_ get distracted as he began to press his lips against her and _hum_. Did he not see the inherent danger in the _giant freakin’ octopus_ that was trying to eat them? Could he not be serious for—oh, that felt _nice_.

No, no. She had to _focus!_ Shaking it off, Aiata poked her randy mate with a leg tip, roughly reminding him that they were in _serious danger_ right now. He snickered, but sucked his tongue back in his mouth.

Okay. _Focused_. Aiata could see the outline of the mo’o in the faint light and reached for it, stretching as far as she could without standing up from her crouch. Almost there._Almost_.

Above her, the octopus’s arms were getting closer. It must have managed to cram itself further into whatever hole it had broken through the rock wall. The curling tips of the tentacles grasped for her again; Aiata felt them brush against her antennae.Her body stiffened, now on high alert. Even Tamatoa finally seemed to realize they were in trouble.She heard his voice, nervous and muffled beneath her.

“Uh, Aiata—“

There was a crash overhead, more rocks cascaded down. Under her, Tamatoa let out a yelp of fear and pain as stones fell upon them. And with the rain of stones, the octopus’s tentacles suddenly had more _reach_. They snatched for Aiata just as her claw closed around the leg of the mo’o. With a fast jerk, she whipped the dead lizard off the ground and swung it up and behind her.

The searching tentacles intercepted the carcass and wrapped around it in a flash, ripping it right out of Aiata’s claw. They yanked it upward, reeling their prize into the wall’s widening hole and out of sight.

“Well, there goes dinner,” Tamatoa groused.

As soon as the tentacles retreated, Aiata was up and on her dactyls, quick as a blink. She grabbed the edge of Tamatoa’s shell and pulled him upright.“We’re going to _be_ dinner if we don’t get out of here,” she told him.

Above them, the sounds of ripping flesh mingled with the crunching of bone, ground between the mandibles of a massive, envenomed cephalopod beak.

Finally seeming to take this at least somewhat seriously at the prospect of being the next thing crushed by those jaws, Tamatoa took her claw and tugged her towards an open passageway. “C’mon, this way!”

She let him lead her into the winding tunnel, where the only light was that which their own bioluminescence supplied. Together they hurried, the fast tapping of their steps drumming up cavernous echoes in the darkened passage.But even over this speedy rhythm, the sound of wet, slithering flesh was not far behind.

“Are you _sure_ you know where you’re going?” Aiata asked him, breathless as they rounded a sharp bend in the tunnel and her mate paused for uncomfortably long seconds where the passageway forked.

“Uhh,” he began, flashing antennae flicking confusedly in the dark.

Suddenly Aiata had her doubts.

But a moment later, his glowing lips pulled back in a brash grin. “Of course I do!” he proclaimed cheerfully.Antennae tilted at a rakish angle, he cut his eyes slyly back to her. “Trust me.”

And Aiata _did_ trust him. After centuries together, the trust between them was unshakeable. It was a trust that ran both ways, too.Tamatoa trusted her; and likewise she trusted him.

So when he chose a fork of the tunnel, she followed him without question. They careened down the passageways at high speed, Tamatoa leading the way.It wasn’t long before the sounds of the octopus began to fall back, the tunnel behind them going silent.

Tamatoa slowed down at the next forking intersection, pausing to cock his antennae attentively for any sign of the giant cephalopod. Speculative, he glanced at Aiata.“Do you think it--”

He was cut off by another shattering crash as a tentacle burst through the stony walls once more. Thinking fast, Aiata ducked down to avoid it.In the same hurried motion, she grabbed Tamatoa by the leg--eliciting a startled yelp--and pulled him down, too. It wasn’t a moment too soon, either.The tentacle missed them again by mere inches, grasping at the air right above their heads.

“Tama, which way?”

“Left!”

She pulled him left, shimmying under the tentacle arms and making a fast break for the next tunnel. Once out of reach, they both broke into a fast run.The furious gnashing of the octopus’s beak echoed all around them in the dark tunnel.

And yet Tamatoa, the hopeless fool, was _laughing_ again.

“Really, Tama?” she chided him as they fled. “_Really?_”

His laughter continued unabated. “You’ll see!”

After a sharp corner, the tunnel began to slope _up_. It tracked uphill so fast that had the floor been smooth instead of jagged with rocks, it would have been nigh impossible to ascend.

A faint bit of watery light appeared ahead, a sure sign of an exit at last. As they approached, it grew stronger and brighter--an elongated oval of light splashed across the sloping floor and walls. The ground pitched so steeply towards the exit and curved so sharply upward at the last moment that it might well have been a chimney rather than a tunnel. From the outside it likely could have been mistaken for a simple hole in the massive reef rock, rather than a cave entrance.

They were upon it quickly, but Tamatoa slowed them before stepping into that shaft of light. He held up a claw, signalling to halt.After a brief pause in which no shadows passed over the exit, they crept forward together. Keeping low and out of sight, they approached with great care.

Two pairs of antennae and two pairs of eyes slowly peeked out, leaving the rest of their bulk in concealment. Antennae flicking and eyes swiveling, they both scanned the area.

It took less than a moment for Aiata to find what she was looking for. There, just below them, was the massive octopus.Its bulbous mantle, what served as a ‘head’ for the creature, was still outside the bulk of the reef. Its arms, however, were all plugged into various holes in the rock and coral--prodding and exploring and _searching_ relentlessly. Mostly a pale yellow-tan color, it was covered in ring-shaped markings which flashed brilliant blue with excitement as it eagerly hunted for the crabs. The creature was _intent_ on catching them, that much was glaringly obvious.

And there was no way to sneak by it, even from here. The giant slit-pupiled eyes of the octopus were watchful, keeping a lookout even as it attempted to locate them by the touch of its suckers. If they attempted to climb down the reef from this exit, they would be spotted almost instantly.

“It’s too exposed on this side of the reef,” Aiata whispered, giving voice to her thoughts. “It’ll see us if we try to climb down.”

Tamatoa grinned, then swiveled an antenna in a fluid gesture to point up the steep slope above them. Aiata’s eyes followed the motion, then her lip quirked into a smile as well.

There was a massive boulder, encrusted with luminous coralline algae and precariously perched at the edge of a crumbling outcrop of eroded limestone. It was directly over the octopus along the slope.

Aiata turned her eyes back upon Tamatoa and they exchanged a wickedly amused look.

“Nobody ever looks up,” they said in perfect unison.

Antennae brushed against antennae in a mutually fond gesture. For all that Tamatoa could be flippant and casually glib about the danger they were in, he was nevertheless a _clever_ and _resourceful _crab when he put his mind to it. Aiata had chosen her mate well.

“I’ll keep it distracted,” Tamatoa offered airily; and with a shell as shiny and gaudy as his, he was _excellent_ at providing diversions.

Aiata nodded. “I’ll get that chunk of rock moving.”

Plan set and ready, Tamatoa took a step towards the exit only to be stopped by a tap on his shell from Aiata’s antennae.

“Don’t get _caught_,” she warned him, a mischievous light dancing in her eyes now. “Because I fully expect you to make good on all your _teasing_ after we get out of this.”

If possible, the grin on his face grew even _wider_ and took on a distinctly salacious light once again.

“It’s a promise,” he assured her with a jaunty flick of his antennae. Then he stepped outside and into the diffuse morning sunlight.

Aiata crept out after him, moving with careful, quiet steps up the hillside as Tamatoa proceeded downward. The distance between them grew as she climbed higher towards the enormous boulder.Tamatoa stayed in line with it, ensuring that the octopus would be in the boulder’s path. Of course, that also meant that he would have to _dodge_ once she set the massive rock in motion. It was undoubtedly quite dangerous, but they had gotten out of far worse scrapes than this together and Aiata knew her mate could handle it.

Just as she reached the boulder, Aiata saw Tamatoa glance up, gauging her location, before he turned his attention to the giant octopus below. She got into position, concealed behind the enormous stone and braced her claws against it.Then there was a bright flash as he tilted his shell to catch the sun’s watery rays. Angling himself with precision, he cast a spray of glittering light across the octopus.

“Hey! _Feke_-face!” his voice rang out, as if the reflected light in the octopus’ eye wasn’t enough of a lure. “Looking for something?”

The octopus reacted instantly to Tamatoa’s provocation, letting out a low-frequency battle cry and swiftly extracting its tentacles from the holes in the reef. As soon as its sucker-covered arms were clear of the rocky crevices, it lunged for Tamatoa, who danced backwards up the hill a few steps to avoid it.The monstrous octopus was _fast_, though, and was already preparing another grab for Tama.

Above them, Aiata shoved all of her massive bulk against the balanced boulder. Even with her considerable strength behind it, the gargantuan chunk of rock barely moved. She pushed harder, gritting her teeth as she leaned into it.There was a faint grinding sound and a clatter of small stones, but the boulder didn’t budge.

Somewhere below, Tama issued another jeering taunt at the octopus and she heard the fast scramble of his dactyls against rock as he skirted around another attack. She _had_ to get this rock _moving_, otherwise Tama was going to be in serious trouble. With a grunt of effort, she lowered her stance and drove her weight into the rock again.

Then there was a sharp scrape of stone against stone and the rock jolted forward. It had _moved_, but barely. Not daring to let the momentum die out, though, Aiata let out a strained growl and shoved with all her might. Front legs braced against the ground, she drove forward with her back legs to provide the necessary impetus to keep it going.

Somewhere out of her line of sight, Tamatoa yelped and there was a crash of old limestone shattering under the weight of a heavy blow. He called out another taunt almost immediately, however, so Aiata knew he must still be up and moving.

One more thrust, powerful legs driving forward, was all it took. The boulder finally broke free and tipped over the edge with a thunderous roar. The whole reef shook as the gigantic chunk of rock ripped a path down the slope.

She didn’t dare call his name, nor yell a warning, for fear of alerting the canny octopus or distracting Tamatoa in a critical moment. He knew what was coming, though, and he would be prepared for it.

Sure enough, he skittered aside at the last possible second as the boulder bore down upon him and cast a smug smirk at their opponent. The octopus, however, was focused on grabbing _him_ and had failed to notice the danger. The tip of a tentacle grazed Tamatoa’s leg, even as he dodged, preparing to wrap around it.

Before it could get ahold of him, however, the boulder struck and there was a terrible screech from the enormous cephalopod. The tentacle was yanked away and the creature was instantly tangled around the rolling stone, sucker-tipped arms flailing as it tumbled down the reef slope. When it reached the bottom, there was one last fatal scream, cut short as the giant rock crushed the creature’s battered body beneath itTentacles, still wrapped around the boulder, twitched spastically in death.

High above, Aiata sighed with relief. Tamatoa turned, looking up the hillside to flash her a triumphant grin for their success.

Carefully, she picked her way down the steep slope to join him and together they headed down to inspect the fallen octopus monster and make _certain _that it was dead. But by the time they reached it, the post-mortem twitching had subsided and the scent of death was strong in the air. Pale blue blood, distantly similar to their own, mixed with dark black ink and began to pool around it.

Tamatoa poked at one tentacle tentatively, then declared their foe _officially deceased_. He flashed his teeth in a wide grin over his shoulder to Aiata, gesturing with an elaborate flourish of his pincer. “Looks like dinner is served after all!”

That was her mate, always with one eye on the next meal. Aiata smiled fondly.“And what a catch!”

He slicked his antennae back and put on his most extravagantly suave and strutting pose. “I really am, aren’t I?”

Aiata couldn’t help but giggle. “You are, but you almost became that _octopus’s_ catch,” she reminded him, giving him a teasing tap with her antennae.

“Well, we couldn’t have that!” he quipped back, cheerfully playing into the banter.

“Of course not!” she agreed in kind, eyes flashing with mirth. “After all, we both know that you’re _my_ catch.”

Tamatoa grinned broadly, lips pulled back and the tip of his tongue between his teeth. He took a sliding step sideways to come closer to her, gait smooth and fluid.His antennae found hers, slipping along them in a slow caress. “You know it,” he said, voice falling lower.Then he went on in a conspiratorial whisper.“They say that octopus is an aphrodisiac, you know.”

“_Who_ says that?” she challenged, letting her own antennae slide back against his and relaxing into the warm, tingling sensation that was spreading out from that sensual touch.

“_Everybody_,” the crab who didn’t socialize with _any _of the locals breezily insisted.

“Well, in that case,” Aiata said, her own voice falling into sultry tones as she hooked a leg tip under the lip of his shell.

“Why don’t we find out?”


End file.
